Jose Fernandez Autopsy Reveals Alcohol, Cocaine Were In His System During Fatal Boat Accident

Brian Feibus

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Deceased Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez had both alcohol and cocaine in his system when he and two friends were killed in a boat crash last month off the coast of Miami, the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s said on Saturday. The autopsy revealed that Fernandez was legally drunk with a .147 blood-alcohol concentration, nearly twice the legal limit.

Associate Medical Examiner Kenneth Hutchins listed “boat crash” as the 24-year-old pitcher’s cause of death. Fernandez suffered blunt-force injuries to the head and torso, along with skull and jaw fractures when the boat he was in hit a jetty near Miami Beach on the morning of September 25th.

The autopsies of Fernandez’s friends- Emilio Jesus Macias and Eduardo Rivero- revealed that they were under the .08 legal drinking limit. Rivero also had traces of cocaine in his system, according to the Medical Examiner’s office. It is unclear who was driving the boat that was owned by Fernandez.

Authorities are conducting a homicide investigation.

Fernandez was a beloved baseball star who had fled Cuba to make it to the United States, and was among the best young pitchers in MLB. His death sent shockwaves throughout the Miami community and the sports world.